ST. PAUL
Possibly for the first time in his NHL career, Cal Clutterbuck has gone two consecutive games without a hit.
No doubt for the first time in his NHL career, Clutterbuck leads the Wild in goals.
The Wild's hit king -- Clutterbuck led the league in hits the past two seasons and established an NHL record in 2008-09 -- is laying the foundation for either the strangest or the strongest of seasons.
He has six goals, zero assists, 71 hits and a mustache with its own Twitter account. The heavy, fast-growing facial hair gives the 5-foot-11 winger from Welland, Ontario, the appearance of a 33-year-old. Yet on Thursday, Clutterbuck turned 23.
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After practicing with the Wild on Thursday morning at the Xcel Energy Center for tonight's game against the Red Wings in Detroit, Clutterbuck uncharacteristically vacated the team's dressing room quickly on his birthday.
He won't address the subject, but he's hurt.
Clutterbuck played only 6 1/2 minutes of his team's 4-1 win over the Lightning in Tampa on Sunday night, then was ordered to rest and skip practice Tuesday before he played 16 1/2 minutes in a 2-1 home victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
He was not his usual hit machine, although coach Todd Richards often questions the official numbers handed down by the NHL statisticians. Richards said he counted Clutterbuck getting four hits on his first shift in one game last season, then looked at the postgame chart to see him listed with a total
of three for the game.
The upper-body injury -- Clutterbuck took a vicious cross-check to the back of his ribs from Florida's Bryan Allen at the end of Minnesota's 2-1 road loss to the Florida Panthers last weekend --likely won't sideline this guy. Despite the lack of official hits, he threw his share of body checks Wednesday night, rang a shot off the post and played better hurt than some guys do healthy.
"Obviously, he was affected," Richards said. "He's not at 100 percent, but he's still at a number that he can play and contribute."
Clutterbuck, who established a career high with 13 goals last season, said he's working through the injury, and not because the puck has been going in for him this season.
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But it might have been an omen when Clutterbuck bagged a hat trick in Minnesota's final exhibition game before the start of the season in Finland, and the 213-pounder has found himself all over the map since then on Richards' lineup card. He began the season on the No. 2 line with Matt Cullen and Martin Havlat, dropped to the third line, jumped to the first line centered by Mikko Koivu and lately has been skating with Cullen and rookie Casey Wellman.
"It doesn't bother me," Clutterbuck said. "It's more about doing what I do; I try to not let things outside of what I do distract me."
His game is still based on bringing energy, speed and physicality to the ice, he said, and Richards likes that he can plug Clutterbuck into any spot and get the same result.
"One thing that Cal has been able to deliver every night is consistent play," Richards said. "I don't know how much he weighs; he's a tough guy to move around on the ice. He plays with energy, so he'll create turnovers because there's that threat there that he'll come in and knock you on your butt.
"The other thing he possesses is a great shot. He shoots the puck hard enough where he can put it through goalies, where it just finds that little crease, and because there's so much behind it, it'll make its way into the net."
Clutterbuck downplays his goal scoring, but it's a valuable commodity on a team with no one among the top 20 in the league in goals.
"I feel good this year," he said. "I've been playing with some pretty good players and it's just a confidence thing."
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
